13 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Czech scientists make “Celtic beer” using analysis of pollen from burial site

Czech scientists, together with a small experimental brewer, have recreated the country’s first ‘Celtic Beer’ using laboratory analysis of pollen from an early Celtic burial site in Moravia.

The oldest known beer residue and brewing facilities date to 5,500 years ago in the Middle East, but archaeological clues to beer’s history are rare.

Scientists from Palack University in Olomouc and Charles University in Prague conducted excavations at the well-known Early Iron Age site of Býčí Skála (The Bull Rock Cave)in the Moravian Karst in 2020 and 2021.

 Here one of the most famous archeological discoveries in central Europe was made by Dr. J. Wankel. He discovered one of the most important cult and burial sites of the Hallstatt people (pre-Celtic inhabitants of Europe’s central and Alpine regions). On the floor of this hall were over 40 skeletons, hundreds of jewels made of amber, glass, bronze, gold, and other materials, weapons, metallurgical and smith tools, pottery, and offerings. The majority of them are now on display at Vienna’s Museum of Natural History.

Zuzana Golec Mírová, one of the team members, told Radio Prague that the aim of the excavations was to collect samples of soil for detailed laboratory analysis: “We discovered the remains of burial chambers, which were quite common in the Hallstat period and inside those chambers there was soil, as well as organic and botanical remains. We took samples for chemical analysis, but also for pollen analysis, which turned out to be crucial.”

The Bull Rock Cave (jeskyně Býčí skála) is located in the Josefov area of the Křtiny Valley in the central part of the Moravian Karst.
The Bull Rock Cave (jeskyně Býčí skála) is located in the Josefov area of the Křtiny Valley in the central part of the Moravian Karst.

Celts consisted of Iron Age tribes, loosely tied by language and culture, that inhabited much of Western Europe from about the 11th to the first century B.C. We don’t actually know what the Celts called themselves. The name ‘Celts’ is a modern name that is used to describe many tribes of people who lived during the Iron Age.

The Brno Botanical Institute’s pollen analysis revealed traces of millet and various herbs in the samples, which are ingredients commonly used by Celts to make beer.

“Usually in the prehistorical beer there are ingredients used for the taste and ingredients used for preserving the content. There is meadowsweet or filipendula ulmaria, sage or salvia officinalis and mugwort or Artemisia vulgaris, which make the sour bitter taste of the beer of course.

“What was quite unexpected was the discovery of clover, which is quite unusual and isn’t usually used in beer. But then we realised that it’s most common pollen found in the honey. So it is possible that this beer was sweetened with honey.”

Archaeologist Martin Golec shows the first Celtic beer in the Czech Republic, newly produced based on pollen samples taken from the burial site in the Býčí skála cave in the background.
Archaeologist Martin Golec shows the first Celtic beer in the Czech Republic, newly produced based on pollen samples taken from the burial site in the Býčí skála cave in the background. Photo: Novinky

According to Zuzana Golec-Mrová, scientists are convinced that the raw materials for brewing beer were placed in the graves as burial gifts, which was a common practice among the Celts and other ancient peoples.

The first batch of TauriALE – as the scientists have named it – was produced in cooperation with a micro-brewery called Lesia. TauriALE, the name refers to Bull Rock (Taurus is Latin for bull), while the -ale suffix in the name indicates that this is a beer without hops.

And where are the hops? Until the early Middle Ages, it was not used in brewing beer, the bitterness of beer was provided by herbs. These herbal beers are non-hopped ales, not hopped beers.

According to Mrs. Golec Mírová, consumers will probably be surprised by its taste:

“It’s a little bit different from today’s beers because it is not based on hops. The herbs give it a bitter and sour flavour and the taste is similar to gruit, which is a type of hop-free beer.”

Called TauriALE will be produced in the future by Palack University’s Eureka brewery in Olomouc and will be available on special occasions.

Related Articles

Farmer was Discovers 2600-year-old Stone Slab of Pharaoh Apries

19 June 2021

19 June 2021

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced that a farmer in Ismailia, Egypt, uncovered a 2,600-year-old stone monument erected by Pharaoh...

Researchers reveal the 4,500-year-old network of funerary avenues in Arabian Peninsula

15 January 2022

15 January 2022

Archaeologists from the University of Western Australia (UWA) have determined that people living in ancient northwest Arabia built long-distance “funerary...

The first mother-daughter burial from the Roman period found in Austria

3 May 2024

3 May 2024

Modern scientific methods are increasingly uncovering spectacular results from archaeological finds dating back a long time. A grave discovered 20...

A Trove of ‘Exceptional’ stunningly preserved bronze statues found at an Ancient Thermal Spa in Tuscany, Italy

10 November 2022

10 November 2022

A group of Italian archaeologists made the discovery of 24 well-preserved bronze statues from an ancient thermal spring in Tuscany....

3.300-year-old Hittite Inscription was Used in Gate Construction

10 May 2021

10 May 2021

Our cultural assets become victims of ignorance one by one. The works that will illuminate the darkness of history continue...

1,800-year-old wooden mask likely used in farm festivals found in Japan

25 April 2023

25 April 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed an almost perfectly preserved wooden mask from the early third century at the Nishi-Iwata ruins in Osaka...

Scientists Reconstruct Face Of 16th Century Italian ‘Vampire’ Buried With Brick In Mouth

23 March 2024

23 March 2024

A 16th-century ‘vampire‘ who was buried with a stone brick jammed in her mouth over fears she would feed on...

Minoan civilization may have used celestial navigation techniques

3 March 2023

3 March 2023

According to a study done by an American researcher at the University of Wales, ancient civilizations may have used celestial...

Complex Of Early Neolithic Monuments Discovered In Herefordshire, England

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered a remarkable complex of early Neolithic monuments while investigating the area around Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, England. The...

Pendants and beads reveal nine European Cultures living across the continent 30,000 years ago

1 February 2024

1 February 2024

In a new study, researchers have constructed a continent-wide database of personal ornaments worn by Europeans 34,000-24,000 years ago, a...

Extremely well-preserved 2000-year-old child’s leather Shoe Discovered During Archaeological Mine Excavations

1 September 2023

1 September 2023

An “extremely well-preserved” Iron Age child’s shoe was discovered in Austria during excavations at Dürrnberg, near the historic town of...

Archaeologists Uncovered a 1,600-Year-Old Rare Mikveh and Synagogue in Ostia Antica, Near Rome

13 March 2025

13 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, researchers have unearthed a 1,600-year-old rare mikveh (ritual bath) and an ancient synagogue at the...

Largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered in Britain illuminates ‘Dark Ages’

16 June 2022

16 June 2022

Archaeologists working on HS2 (the purpose-built high-speed railway line) have discovered a rich Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, where almost...

Khufu Boat moved to its New Museum by Smart Vehicle

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

A 4,600-year-old intact wooden boat bearing the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, Khufu, was transported to a new museum about...

Ancient quarry discovered near Tas-Silġ archaeological complex in Malta

28 May 2023

28 May 2023

The Malta Superintendence of Cultural Heritage announced on Friday that trenching works by the Water Services Corporation had uncovered an...